There you are humming along, getting things done, making solid progress towards your destination and whammo! FULL STOP. It seems like there is simply no way to continue or at least not in the direction you were headed. Obstacles, redirects and unexpected events are simply part of life. What to do when you stall out, hit the wall or otherwise lose momentum and have no clue how to get going again?

Some things to try:

GET OUTSIDE.

Yeah, yeah, I know, that’s a typical thing for me to say being a nature-loving ultra runner, but I’ve always found that getting out of the box of our living spaces can help us to see things anew, to recognize that whatever we have going on in our heads isn’t the only thing going on in the world. Oh, it’s raining or it’s too hot or there’s a blizzard coming you say? Seriously?! Get your best weather adaptive clothing on and GET OUT THERE NOW even if it’s just for 15 minutes.

Now, run, ride a bike, walk. Take your dog or your neighbour’s dog. When your head is spinning, animals are great role models as they are masters of being the moment. Maybe the thing you are thinking is such a big frigging deal simply needs to be put in perspective. Not a dog lover? Walk anyway. To the corner store. To the library. Around the block. To the park. Just GET OUT THE DOOR.

DO THE THING YOU ARE AVOIDING.

Which one you ask? There’s usually a list for most of us, right? Well, pick one and DO IT. Starting with something small can help build momentum to do something bigger and bigger until you build up your muscle of facing fears. Then, the big fears aren’t as big and you can do THE THING you are avoiding the most. Yeah, that one.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW.

You have always wanted to speak French. Oh la la! Doesn’t that mean you have to reinvent your life to make it happen? Sell your house, move to France and dive in head first right away? Uh, no. Sure, that can be a fun idea and it may be where you are headed, but for now, you can download “Duolingo” and do one lesson. START WHERE YOU ARE.​

IMPROVE YOUR CURRENT SKILLS.

You are a great writer but haven’t forayed into blogging? Maybe you want to include video down the road. Don’t have the right camera or equipment? Start reading. Research. Make a list of blogs and YouTube channels that inspire you. Again, START WHERE YOU ARE.

FOCUS ON SOMEBODY ELSE.

Yeah, woe is me. My problems seem so big sometimes, the elephant in the room is squeezing me out into the hall. What can be super helpful in these moments is to remember that whatever we are going through, there’s probably somebody who has something worse to contend with. Go through a mental list of people you know. Reach out to somebody. Ask them what’s going on and listen. Not in a sort of half-assed, "So, how’s it going?" while you text somebody else or think about all the menial things you have to do that you’d rather not. BE PRESENT.**Helpful hint: Leave the chronic complainer at the bottom of the list. Even the most positive people we know have their challenges. The key here is to open up your heart and see what another person’s concerns might be.

TAKE A BREAK.

What the heck does that mean? You hit a wall. Where is there to go? Well, maybe stop looking for the way around it for the time being. Accept what is happening. Feel what you feel. Don’t start to look for reasons things are the way they are or immediately try to find a solution. Often, when we are able to fully SHOW UP in a situation without telling ourselves a story about it, we are able to process and reorient ourselves much faster. Maybe this is a clear sign you need to STOP and attend to your body, mind and spirit? REST.

CLEAN THE HOUSE.

Sweep the floor, clean a mirror, unload the dishwasher, reorganize your closet, etc. If you are at the office? Start by organizing your desk. Got a pile of papers on it you haven’t filed? Get to it. Completing seemingly menial, boring tasks can help you to feel a sense of accomplishment and shift your mood. I find the best ideas strike when I’m not trying to come up with one and am simply engaged in whatever I am doing. As a bonus, when you attend to your space, things begin to feel a bit more manageable - lighter and brighter and so do you.

CHANGE GEARS.

Peddling uphill and the big gear is feeling like torture? Well, shift into a smaller one! Not on a bicycle? Ok, well I was when I made this list so it made sense at the time. Seriously, though. This can be a useful analogy. We get used to things going at a certain pace and when they slow down, we can get frustrated and throw our hands in the air. Make use of the time when things slow down. Reflect, rethink, reconsider, pause, surrender. Is this really the direction you want to go? Are there alternatives you haven’t considered yet?

HAVE A SMOOTHIE.

Oh, no, not another barefoot-hippy-hug-a-tree idea? I am a big believer in smoothies, especially those using immune boosting fermented drinks. Yeah, I homebrew kombucha and kefir. I also make fermented veggies and have an unattended jar of sourdough starter in my fridge that I may bring back to life when I am ok about eating gluten again.

That said, you don’t have to complicate matters if you don’t have any kefir or kombucha on hand. Simply throw some greens, frozen fruit and water/juice/milk in your blender and hit “start”. Feeding your body high quality, easily assimilable nutrients does wonders at making you feel better in a way that junk food can’t. And when you feel better, things start to get better.

TAKE A BATH.

Water is so therapeutic. We start out our human experience in the watery womb environment. Water can be so helpful in getting us back into a natural state of receptivity and flow. Don’t like baths? Take a shower. Go sit or walk by a lake, river, the ocean or a pond. And if none of the these appeal for whatever reason, simply DRINK WATER. Flush out the toxins and rehydrate your body. It’s amazing how much better we feel when we drink enough water.

Hope you try some of these suggestions the next time you hit a wall. Do you have other tips that work well for you? Please feel free to share them below.